Ever Changing Weather Keeping Fish on the Move

I am writing this on a chilly 43 degree Sunday morning taking a well needed day off after a very busy run of trips the last couple of weeks.  We have had ever changing weather recently, with cold fronts moving through every few days.  The fishing action has fluctuated along with the weather as the fish have been on the move.  Pompano, sea trout and redfish have been the main targets.  We are using both jigs tipped with shrimp as well as live shrimp with equal success.

Wayne Fox and Tim Cabral came out just before Christmas for a morning half day.  With water temperatures hovering at 72 degrees,  I netted a load of sardines before the trip and headed to the mangroves to see if we could produce a few snook.  The snook cooperated, with Tim and Wayne releasing several nice fish each.   The star of the morning was Wayne after battling a very feisty 33 inch snook from under the bushes.  We also worked the outside passes near Marco Island with jigs and boated several pompano.  Here is Wayne wtih his big snook…
Other notable trips were Bob McClure and son Joe last Thursday morning.  The duo had a great catch of pompano and sea trout.  Most were caught on jigs tipped with shrimp.  We were fishing in the Rookery Bay area.

Dave Fruend and Nick Smirnov fished Friday afternoon and pulled a bunch of redfish out of one pocket on a mangrove shoreline in Johnson Bay with live shrimp.  A couple of them were invited home to dinner.  The redfish were running from 18 to 24 inches.  We then proceded to a channel  bordering a long flat.  It was loaded with trout.  Several were caught on jigs, but most seemed more interested in live shrimp.

We have been finding a wide variety of other species on many trips with as many as thirteen different fish being caught.  These include snook, redfish, trout, pompano, black drum, sheepshead, flounder, small permit, mangrove snapper, jack crevalle, goliath grouper, black grouper, bluefish and spanish mackerel.

- Capt. Todd Geroy

Mid - December Mixed Bag in Naples Backwaters

December 11, 2012


Southwest Florida has been experiencing some unusually warm weather so far this December.  And while we have been enjoying it, it has made the fishing a little hit and miss.  By the end of November, the waters had cooled and put the fish into a typical winter season pattern.  With the warm up, the fish seemed to have scattered more and while we have had some great trips others are finding it a little more challenging.

I have been going back and forth with both live sardines and live shrimp as well as jigs trying to find a pattern to success.  We have managed to find some nice snook to 34 inches along with some giant jack crevalle destroying the sardines.
We are still finding a few pompano in the back country channels with jigs tipped with shrimp.  There are a few trout scattered in the same areas.  Although scattered, we have been managing a few decent redfish on most outings.  They have been taking shrimp as well as live sardines.

- Capt. Todd Geroy